Richmond man, wife arrested for stealing luggage at SFO

REDWOOD CITY -- A United Airlines worker at San Francisco International Airport and his wife were charged with stealing luggage from a Richmond couple whose flight was diverted after the deadly Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash, a prosecutor said Monday.

Sean Sharif Crudup, 44, pleaded not guilty Friday in San Mateo County Superior Court to theft charges. His wife Raychas Elizabeth Thomas, 32, is due in court Aug. 26 for arraignment.

Crudup was caught on surveillance video stealing the baggage and handing it off to his wife, who then returned some of the clothing in the luggage to a Nordstrom department store for a $5,000 payout, Chief Deputy District Attorney Karen Guidotti said.

The bags arrived at SFO on July 8 but their owners had been diverted due the Flight 214 crash, which claimed three lives and forced flight cancellations. When the owners, whose names weren't released, went to pick up their bags, they learned the luggage was missing, Guidotti said.

A search of Crudup and Thomas' Richmond home allegedly turned up more of the victims' belongings. The couple was arrested as Thomas was catching a flight to Hawaii.

A United Airlines baggage handler was arrested in May after police say they caught him stealing valuables such as iPads out of travelers' bags at SFO.

Crudup is being held at the jail in Redwood City in lieu of $75,000 bail. Thomas is out of custody on $50,000 bail. They face grand theft and second-degree burglary charges.